NAME¶
Bio::MAGE::Measurement - Container module for classes in the MAGE package:
Measurement
SYNOPSIS¶
use Bio::MAGE::Measurement;
DESCRIPTION¶
This is a
package module that encapsulates a number of classes in the
Bio::MAGE hierarchy. These classes belong to the Measurement package of the
MAGE-OM object model.
CLASSES¶
The Bio::MAGE::Measurement module contains the following Bio::MAGE classes:
- •
- Measurement
- •
- Unit
- •
- TimeUnit
- •
- DistanceUnit
- •
- TemperatureUnit
- •
- QuantityUnit
- •
- MassUnit
- •
- VolumeUnit
- •
- ConcentrationUnit
CLASS METHODS¶
- @class_list = Bio::MAGE::Measurement::classes();
- This method returns a list of non-fully qualified class names (i.e. they
do not have 'Bio::MAGE::' as a prefix) in this package.
- $obj = class->new(%parameters)
- The "new()" method is the class constructor.
Parameters: if given a list of name/value parameters the
corresponding slots, attributes, or associations will have their initial
values set by the constructor.
Return value: It returns a reference to an object of the class.
Side effects: It invokes the "initialize()" method if it
is defined by the class.
- @names = class->get_slot_names()
- The "get_slot_names()" method is used to retrieve the name of
all slots defined in a given class.
NOTE: the list of names does not include attribute or association
names.
Return value: A list of the names of all slots defined for this
class.
Side effects: none
- @name_list = get_attribute_names()
- returns the list of attribute data members for this class.
- @name_list = get_association_names()
- returns the list of association data members for this class.
- @class_list = get_superclasses()
- returns the list of superclasses for this class.
- @class_list = get_subclasses()
- returns the list of subclasses for this class.
- $name = class_name()
- Returns the full class name for this class.
- $package_name = package_name()
- Returns the base package name (i.e. no 'namespace::') of the package that
contains this class.
- %assns = associations()
- returns the association meta-information in a hash where the keys are the
association names and the values are "Association" objects that
provide the meta-information for the association.
INSTANCE METHODS¶
- $obj_copy = $obj->new()
- When invoked with an existing object reference and not a class name, the
"new()" method acts as a copy constructor - with the new
object's initial values set to be those of the existing object.
Parameters: No input parameters are used in the copy constructor,
the initial values are taken directly from the object to be copied.
Return value: It returns a reference to an object of the class.
Side effects: It invokes the "initialize()" method if it
is defined by the class.
- $obj->set_slots(%parameters)
- $obj->set_slots(\@name_list, \@value_list)
- The "set_slots()" method is used to set a number of slots at the
same time. It has two different invocation methods. The first takes a
named parameter list, and the second takes two array references.
Return value: none
Side effects: will call "croak()" if a slot_name is used
that the class does not define.
- @obj_list = $obj->get_slots(@name_list)
- The "get_slots()" method is used to get the values of a number
of slots at the same time.
Return value: a list of instance objects
Side effects: none
- $val = $obj->set_slot($name,$val)
- The "set_slot()" method sets the slot $name to the value $val
Return value: the new value of the slot, i.e. $val
Side effects: none
- $val = $obj->get_slot($name)
- The "get_slot()" method is used to get the values of a number of
slots at the same time.
Return value: a single slot value, or undef if the slot has not been
initialized.
Side effects: none
- $val = $measurement->xml_lists()
- $inval = $measurement->xml_lists($inval)
- This is the unified setter/getter method for the xml_lists slot.
If $inval is specified, the setter method is invoked, with no parameters,
the getter method is invoked.
Input parameters: the optional $inval will invoke the setter method.
Return value: for both setter and getter the current value of the xml_lists
slot
Side effects: none
Exceptions: none
- $val = $measurement->tagname()
- $inval = $measurement->tagname($inval)
- This is the unified setter/getter method for the tagname slot.
If $inval is specified, the setter method is invoked, with no parameters,
the getter method is invoked.
Input parameters: the optional $inval will invoke the setter method.
Return value: for both setter and getter the current value of the tagname
slot
Side effects: none
Exceptions: none
- $measurement->obj2xml($writer)
- Write out this object, and all sub-objects, as XML using the supplied
$writer to actually do the XML formatting.
Input parameters: $writer must be an XML writer, e.g. an instance of
Bio::MAGE::XML::Writer. It must have methods: write_start_tag(),
write_end_tag(), and obj2xml().
Return value: none
Side effects: all writing is delegated to the $writer - it's
write_start_tag() and write_end_tag() methods are invoked
with the appropriate data, and all class sub-objects of the
"Bio::MAGE::Measurement" instance will have their
obj2xml() methods invoked in turn. By allowing the $writer to do
the actual formatting of the output XML, it enables the user to precisely
control the format.
Exceptions: will call "croak()" if no identifier has been set for
the "Bio::MAGE::Measurement" instance.
- $measurement->register($obj)
- Store an object for later writing as XML.
Input parameters: object to be added to the list of registered objects.
Return value: none
Side effects: if $obj needs to be stored by this class, a reference will be
stored in the correct XML list for this class.
Exceptions: none
SLOTS, ATTRIBUTES, AND ASSOCIATIONS¶
In the Perl implementation of MAGE-OM classes, there are three types of class
data members: "slots", "attributes", and
"associations".
SLOTS¶
This API uses the term "slot" to indicate a data member of the class
that was not present in the UML model and is used for mainly internal purposes
- use only if you understand the inner workings of the API. Most often slots
are used by generic methods such as those in the XML writing and reading
classes.
Slots are implemented using unified getter/setter methods:
- $var = $obj->slot_name();
- Retrieves the current value of the slot.
- $new_var = $obj->slot_name($new_var);
- Store $new_var in the slot - the return value is also $new_var.
- @names = $obj->get_slot_names()
- Returns the list of all slots in the class.
DATA CHECKING: No data type checking is made for these methods.
ATTRIBUTES AND ASSOCIATIONS¶
The terms "attribute" and "association" indicate data
members of the class that were specified directly from the UML model.
In the Perl implementation of MAGE-OM classes, association and attribute
accessors are implemented using three separate methods:
- get*
- Retrieves the current value.
NOTE: For associations, if the association has list cardinality, an
array reference is returned.
DATA CHECKING: Ensure that no argument is provided.
- set*
- Sets the current value, replacing any existing value.
NOTE: For associations, if the association has list cardinality, the
argument must be an array reference. Because of this, you probably should
be using the add* methods.
DATA CHECKING: For attributes, ensure that a single value is
provided as the argument. For associations, if the association has list
cardinality, ensure that the argument is a reference to an array of
instances of the correct MAGE-OM class, otherwise ensure that there is a
single argument of the correct MAGE-OM class.
- add*
- NOTE: Only present in associations with list cardinality.
Appends a list of objects to any values that may already be stored in the
association.
DATA CHECKING: Ensure that all arguments are of the correct MAGE-OM
class.
GENERIC METHODS¶
The unified base class of all MAGE-OM classes, "Bio::MAGE::Base",
provides a set of generic methods that will operate on slots, attributes, and
associations:
- $val = $obj->get_slot($name)
- \@list_ref = $obj->get_slots(@name_list);
- $val = $obj->set_slot($name,$val)
- $obj->set_slots(%parameters)
- $obj->set_slots(\@name_list, \@value_list)
- See elsewhere in this page for a detailed description of these
methods.
BUGS¶
Please send bug reports to the project mailing list: (mged-mage 'at' lists 'dot'
sf 'dot' net)
AUTHOR¶
Jason E. Stewart (jasons 'at' cpan 'dot' org)
SEE ALSO¶
perl(1).